TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 22-year-old member of a fraud ring who recruited persons to collect bank cards from victims, reports Nippon News Network (June 28).
In March, a 73-year-old woman living in Adachi Ward was told by a person posing as an employee from the Japanese Banker’s Association on the telephone that her bank cards were being abused by a third party and needed to be replaced.
Sensing a problem, the woman alerted police, who arrested a 17-year-old boy upon his arrival at her residence to collect two of her bank cards.
According to police, Taichi Kanuka, a construction worker residing Fukushima Prefecture, invited persons to serve as couriers tasked with retrieving bank cards from victims, including the aforementioned woman.
Kanuka, who has been accused of fraud, denies the allegations. “I know the boy, but I don’t recall making a work-related referral,” the suspect was quoted by police.
